Possible to remove or delete the clutch delay valve? 2014 SP25GT

Hi All, first post:

Question: Has anyone removed the Clutch Delay Valve on a current model Mazda 3? Or have ideas how it can be done? I'm VERY keen to give it a try. Thanks for any help in advance!

Background: I have issues with my manual 2014 SP25GT. Since I drove it off the lot, it's had this horrible 'gap' in when the clutch reacts to being let out. More often than not, this results in jerky/rough changes no matter how carefully I drive, because the clutch catch point seems to keep moving, or change in feel. It's worse in the lower gear changes, and from stationary. It enrages me on a daily basis as I normally LOVE driving, but this is an absolute nightmare. I've taken it to Mazda more than 20 times over the years and they eventually replaced the entire clutch assembly (including flywheel), but it made no difference and they insist it's behaving normally. I've driven others of the same car and they felt WAY better. Long story short, I've given up on Mazda helping and the car's now out of warranty anyway.

A very knowledgeable friend who works at a Euro performance shop drove it and within seconds of driving the car said he thinks the problem is the Clutch Delay Valve (CDV). He said it's meant to prolong the life of the clutch and smooth out gear changes for people who can't drive manual well, but for some cars it makes it feel worse. He said it's a common mod in Volkswagen cars for the valve to be disabled by simply unscrewing it and repressurising/draining the clutch cylinders again. I've seen guides for doing it to other cars (BMW) but none for Mazdas.

Question: Has anyone removed the Clutch Delay Valve on a current model Mazda 3? Or have ideas how it can be done? I'm VERY keen to give it a try. Thanks for any help in advance!

Background: I have issues with my manual 2014 SP25GT. Since I drove it off the lot, it's had this horrible 'gap' in when the clutch reacts to being let out. More often than not, this results in jerky/rough changes no matter how carefully I drive, because the clutch catch point seems to keep moving, or change in feel. It's worse in the lower gear changes, and from stationary. It enrages me on a daily basis as I normally LOVE driving, but this is an absolute nightmare. I've taken it to Mazda more than 20 times over the years and they eventually replaced the entire clutch assembly (including flywheel), but it made no difference and they insist it's behaving normally. I've driven others of the same car and they felt WAY better. Long story short, I've given up on Mazda helping and the car's now out of warranty anyway.

A very knowledgeable friend who works at a Euro performance shop drove it and within seconds of driving the car said he thinks the problem is the Clutch Delay Valve (CDV). He said it's meant to prolong the life of the clutch and smooth out gear changes for people who can't drive manual well, but for some cars it makes it feel worse. He said it's a common mod in Volkswagen cars for the valve to be disabled by simply unscrewing it and repressurising/draining the clutch cylinders again. I've seen guides for doing it to other cars (BMW) but none for Mazdas.

Any ideas?
Ben

how do you drive the car? i heard A CDV delete wouldnt make much of a difference. I am asking because your driving style can and will have an effect on how the clutch engages and where the engagement point actually is. it really shouldnt be changing so much where you can easily notice (because the clutch "adapts" based on how you are driving it) but generally normal/non abusive driving will cause an engagement point lower in the pedal, and the pedal will grab smoother and more linear.

one very interesting thing I noticed with my Nissan Maxima which is manual - I noticed that occasionally shifting at redline (not dumping the clutch abusively, but in one quick and firm motion, "slip", not dump! the clutch into gear as quickly as you can) try this once or twice after redlining in second or third gear. I noticed my clutch became much less jerky and shifted quicker after doing this.

it has been done on Astina/Proteges... it was a trivial thing as the parts screwed into the pipe fitting
unfortunately, it's not so on the 3... it's a sealed unit and cannot be serviced whatsoever... this means, the entire clutch master cylinder needs to be replaced... it appears the 2.0l/2.5l BM/BNs have this, while the 1.5l doesn't, which isn't sold in oz... this is a typical Mazda engineering decision due to the higher powered engines perceived as transmission/clutch damaging when not driven properly...

fortunately, due to parts sharing, the 1.5l BM/BN uses the same clutch master cylinder as the DJ/DL Mazda2... since your SP25 has i-Stop, there is a specific clutch master cylinder you need to also get, meant for the 1.5l BM/BM/DJ/DL with i-Stop as it has an additional switch attached to the clutch master cylinder which is only there when the car has i-Stop... the part number is DA6A-41-400

although the parts catalogs doesn't state whether it has the delay valve or not, my best guess is that the 1.5l won't have a clutch delay valve due to low engine power levels to not warrant the inclusion of this part... I think this is your solution... try it and let us know!